On September 12, 2020, as a part of E4T (Early Education for Tomorrow) that Candlewick have been collaborating with CANVAS, we held the 4^th symposium online and welcomed many educators and parents from all over Japan. 

4 years since its foundation, E4T has been gaining attention from those who are interested in child education. Moreover, “Primo Toys Cubetto”, a programming tool that Candlewick represents as its sales agency has been also greatly recognized through the participation in online seminars and study sessions, spreading the nationwide network with educators. We will continue to seek better ways to further child education with you all, so please keep an eye on our future endeavors.

In this symposium, we welcomed Ms. Takemura, the CEO of FutureEdu and Learn by Creation, and co-founder of Peatix.com, as a moderator. We discussed a number of topics with Mr. Matsuda, the country manager of Crimson Global Academy and chairman of Central Education Review Council, and Mr. Minabe, the principal of Coby Preschool Yoshikawa Minami. During their discussion, they also answered many questions from the audience.

The model of children that we want to raise and what we can do as adults  ~ Let’s start talking about dreams and intentions to let the children discover their interests ~

In regards to the ideal model of children, all the three participants agreed with the importance of cultivating children’s own sensitivity and expressions while seeking what they truly like. Mr. Minabe described childhood as a period where children could encounter something new, and pointed out in order to find what they feel passionate about, children should take up various opportunities, sharing that moment with teachers and their parents. Often, busy parents fail to catch the signals from the children. Thus, it is important for parents to take a deep breath, and try to notice what their children are expressing, Mr. Minabe emphasized. 

Utilizing ICT will let children effectively learn at a higher levels and raise awareness of diversity

As the number of elementary schools implementing ICT education is increasing, it is now important to discuss the ideal ways of utilizing and dealing with ICT. Mr. Matsuda first highlighted the advantages of ICT education are to offer the highest level of education to whoever is willing to receive it, and to provide the education suitable for each student. Since even online, children have been able to connect with others and effectively expand their knowledge, he pointed out that children would find it easier to designate their time for other offline such as lessons and projects.

Mr. Minabe emphasized that by utilizing the ICT equipment, we would be able to lower the physical hurdle many required operations. For example, when drawing a picture on a tablet, mistakes can be easily fixed through ICT. Also, since it is possible to visualize the process of drawing pictures, it will be much easier to share how the ideas were created. Ms. Takemura mentioned that the use of ICT equipment is increasingly important in a modern society where adults are overprotective, because it allows children to experience “good failures” and be aware of diverse ideas by sharing the process with other friends. In online education, children have been asked to be more independent for their learning and shown their improvements, so she currently expects that by having a good balance between online and offline, children will be able to become more creative and thrive in their life.

Let’s change our fixed stereotypes and consciousness to embody what we ask of our children

Mr. Matsuda warned that based on his own personal experiences, the idea of adults having all the absolute answers and preparing for their kids the right paths, has spread and prevented many kids from doing what they truly want to do. Mr. Minabe, who interacts daily with children, clarified the importance of having fun with kids and working together on what children are working on. In addition to this, Ms. Takemura said that both adults and children can recognize and boost each other’s values by doing what they like to do together. After the symposium, we got heard a lot of voices from the participants that sympathized with the mindset that adults should change. 

“Showing to their kids that they too can be entertained”. This is going to be our major theme that we will continue to discuss.

■Video featuring the symposium is below